Ten killed in industrial estate fire

Police say the fire could have been caused by the volatile chemicals used in the manufacture of perfumes

The overpowering smell of perfume lingering in the air was the only indication that a perfume factory had once existed on the third floor of Hill View Industrial Estate at Amrut Nagar in Vikhroli (West). A heap of debris comprising soot and charred furniture now lies in its place - a grim reminder of the disaster that struck on Wednesday.

A massive fire broke out in the building at 4.30 pm, claiming 10 lives and injuring at least 20 people, mostly workers in the garment factory located on the building's third floor. The fire was doused after seven long hours of fire fighting operations conducted by a battalion of fire officials from Chembur, Kurla, Mulund, Vikhroli, Marol and Colaba.

Although the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, police said chemicals used in the manufacture of perfumes could be to blame. According to eye-witnesses, the fire first broke out in shop number 307, Modi Garments, on the third floor. "It spread to the rest of the building, reacting with chemicals stored in the perfume factory," said Pravin Chedda, the BJP corporator from Ghatkopar.

A first information report was lodged against the owner of the perfume factory located in shop number 308, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone VII) Dattaray Karale. "The chemicals used in the manufacture of perfumes are highly volatile. We will find out if the chemicals kept in the factory were bought and stored legally. We will also check the quantity of chemicals stored," said Karale.

Further investigations will be carried out once the debris is cleared, he said. With the total financial losses due to the fire is estimated to run into crores, those working at the industrial estate are worried as they did not have insurance.

The 60-year-old perfume factory owner, Madhu Assar, survived the fire. "There was a sudden thundering noise. Thinking that it was a bomb blast or an earthquake, I immediately rushed out of the building," said Assar, refusing to comment on whether the police had contacted him for information about the chemicals stored in his factory.

"We managed to bring the fire under control after seven hours. The industrial estate was ill-equipped to handle a fire of this magnitude. The only fire-fighting equipment at the sight was a bucket and some sand," said an official. Further problems arose when people tried to extinguish the fire using water, which, unfortunately, aggravating the fire by reactign with the chemicals.

The bodies of eight victims who were trapped in the fire were removed. "The bodies were charred beyond recognition, making it very difficult to identify them," said Kiran Kadam, chief fire officer.